


Wizards and Swordsmen

by ayrtonwilbury



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, i don't even
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-17 09:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9315485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayrtonwilbury/pseuds/ayrtonwilbury
Summary: There are four elements that can be controlled.But there is also a fifth element. The fifth element can cause chaos to the world should it become the wrong person.Now they must band together to stop the fifth element before it brings destruction to the world.[ps, there's only like one sword in this entire story]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [adreaminglamb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adreaminglamb/gifts).



> humongous shout out to Castillon02 for the beta. Thank you for being so patient with me.

 

Long ago, there were four elementals. The elementals lived amongst the humans and thrived in their quiet lives. They helped when their village was in danger, making sure that it was protected from the anger of mother nature, and the villagers revered the elementals for their protection.

Then one day, another elemental emerged. The fifth elemental made the world unbalanced and dangerous, for he controlled the spirits of the dead. Because of his greed, the fifth elemental waged war against the other four. The four elementals were able to stop the fifth, but at a horrible price: their village and its inhabitants were killed.

Devastated, the four elementals decided that they would not stay together and went their separate ways. If they kept away from each other, other villages and their people would stay safe now that the fifth was vanquished. The elementals agreed to only return together if the fifth reappeared for vengeance and destruction.

***

The first time he played with fire, James almost lost his life for a rebellious pack of cigarettes. After almost burning down the small church by his house, James learned that fire was unforgiving and unkind.

James stood in front of his hotel mirror and stared at the small scar that was left of the burn he bore so many years ago. The burn scar had been worse when he was younger. James ran his fingers along his arm where the scar tissue used to be. After he had joined the Navy and then gone on to MI6, he’d been able to get a skin graft. He didn't mind that they hadn’t been able to erase all of it; he liked knowing that there was still a scar. A scar to remind him of what had happened. Fire, he knew now, had not ever been his friend. In this line of work, he had to use fire, work with fire, but it was nothing more than a tool to him. However, the night of the church fire still stayed buried in his subconscious.

The mission was simple enough: set the bomb and leave. The ruthless dictator would know nothing as James had placed the bomb in the basement of the building, set near the boilers where if investigated it could be considered a simple house fire.

The mission went fine until he ascended the basement stairs. As soon as James closed the door and turned around, he was met face to face with a guard. The young guard let out a startled gasp and James pushed him away to run. The guard tackled him down and James punched him. Q chirped in his ear and James snapped at the quartermaster for not realizing that there were four guards instead of three.

“His credentials are not in any of my systems,” Q exclaimed at the agent. “He's either new or not supposed to be there.”

As they scrambled up, James pulled his gun out of his holster and aimed at the security guard. The security guard was just a boy, no older than eighteen. His eyes were wide and he just looked so _scared_ . To James, the boy _looked_ like a security guard, had all of the right colors and tags, but there was something...off.

“You're not security at all,” James stated as his thumb pulled back the hammer of his gun.

“<Neither are you,>” the boy said in Czech. The boy's demeanor changed, and the scared boy that James thought he was vanished. The boy's face turned into a scowl as he too grabbed the gun from behind his back. “<I should thank you for doing my job.>”

“<What are you talking about?>” James fired right back at the Czech, the detonator in his pocket.

The boy smiled as he took out a detonator of his own. James stared in confusion; how did this boy have one of his own? “<Master Blofeld sends his regards.>”

The boy pushed the button. James ran and slid under a table while the explosion screamed out of the basement and towards the top. James gasped when he felt the heat of the flames and his eyes went wide. The smell of burning, rotten wood invaded his nostrils.

“No!” James hollered until his voice was hoarse. James could feel his chest tighten as he stayed hidden behind the table. He couldn’t do it, he didn’t mean for this to happen again.

“Bond!” Q’s voice screeched and rattled his head. “Bond, you need to get out of there!”

Bond’s body began to shake, and the fire crept closer to Bond as if it were a demon ready to strike. James couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t even _move_.

“James!” Q yelled. “James, listen to me, you need to get up.”

“I can’t,” James said.

“James,” Q’s voice crackled in the earpiece but was calm. “I need you to get up now, okay?”

“I don’t—”

“I know you don’t want to,” Q said calmly. “But, you are going to have to. You’ve got to do this, okay?”

“The fire.”

“I know,” Q said. “But you need to get out. You will be all right.”

James coughed as he breathed in smoke while his eyes began to water. Finally, he stood up. James could hear his heartbeat in his ears, his heart pounding in his chest. He could do this; he needed to get out. The smoke surrounded him as he slowly trudged out of the burning house. He kicked down the door and felt a rush of cold morning air on his face. His vision swam from the smoke and he tried to remember where he was. Sirens blared in the distance and James coughed.

“James,” Q said. “You need to get out of the area. Remember where the safehouse is.”

James threw up. He spat the rest as he tried to regain his breathing. His hands were on his knees and James let out a final breath. He stood up straight and adjusted his cufflink.

“Affirmative, quartermaster,” James replied. “I will be there in ten minutes.”

***

M frowned as she skimmed the report. She tugged off her reading glasses to give them both a hard stare. Above her were two small swords that were pinned and crossed behind a shield. Whenever James went into her office to get berated, he would sit and just stare at the shield and swords, wondering at their purpose. The shield was not decorated, but plain and boring, showing no signs of an ancestry. James was brought back when M slammed a hand onto the table.

“Well?” she asked, finally.

“Well, what, ma’am?” James asked, his arms across his chest tightly.

“You know damn well what I mean,” she snapped at him before her eyes went to the quartermaster. “How the hell was that guard able to use his own damned detonator?”

Q tugged on the collar of his cardigan. “I’ll go through my security, ma’am. It seems it’s not as secure as I thought.”

“Hopefully not a mole in our midst?” she asked.

“That’s so overdone,” James mumbled and M shot him a look.

“No, I don’t think so,” Q stated quickly. “I’ll recheck my security. It feels like the Nine Eyes is still in my system, finding ways to break my security.”

“Find a way to clean and flush them out,” M stated. “We almost lost an agent because of that mess, Fire Wizard.”

James raised an eyebrow and was about to say something, but was interrupted by Q.

“Ma’am, we agreed to not say that when...other people were in the room.”

The two gazed over at James and James bit his lip. What wasn’t he supposed to know? What did M mean when she called Q a Fire Wizard?

“Be that as it may,” M said. “We need to clean out the system. Get the Nine Eyes completely out. If they knew that we were going to be there…”

“Yes, ma’am,” Q answered.

“And Bond?” she said and James sat up. “You need to see the psychiatrist for what happened to you on your mission.”

“I’m fine,” James stated, his cheek burning. “I don’t need to see her.”

“I’m not saying, I’m ordering you to. Your phobia is something that we’ve dealt with in the past but it needs to be contained or we will have a repeat of what happened. Dismissed,” M replied and turned her chair away from him.

James clenched his fists and stormed out of the office. Q watched him leave and turned his attention to M.

“You’ll have to tell him one day,” was all M said. “You are a Fire Wizard and he has that phobia.”

“I know...I just don’t know how to,” Q stated.

“Just tell him as soon as you can,” she said. “He doesn’t like people knowing of his fear,” M explained. “Go through our system again. It seems like there are some open doors. We need them closed.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Q said and stood up from his seat. He left her office and saw James leaning against the wall. “How long have you been afraid of fire?”

James huffed and punched the wall in anger. “I'm a _goddamn_ agent! I'm not...I'm not supposed to be scared of anything!” He turned and looked at Q.

“James, it's okay to have this kind of fear,” Q stated as he moved closer. “It's all right.”

“Fear makes us weak,” James mumbled, his eyes cast down on the ground.

“Fear makes us human,” Q said and moved to place a hand on James’s cheek. James leaned into the touch and let out a sigh. “Do you want to meet tonight?”

James nodded. “I’ll call for the room. Meet at eight?”

“I’ll see you tonight,” Q said and left for his branch. James stood in the empty hallway before he walked out of MI6, phone in hand as he called for their usual room at the hotel.

For the past three months, James and Q had met together in a random hotel and spent the night there. There, the two were not agent and quartermaster, but lovers out for a night on the town. James wanted more, but did Q? James had thought that giving Q a key to his apartment would give some sort of indication of his feelings to Q, but apparently not.

Yes, James was maybe a little upset, but all the while he wanted Q to take his time. James had returned after a three month stint with a damaged Aston Martin that he had stolen away from Q-branch to be with the infamous Madeleine Swann. James had returned and Q had believed him. Night after night, when James returned, they would find a hotel and be together until the sun rose to remind them that they were not lovers.

“I have to tell you something,” Q stated after yet another night of lovemaking, and stood to put on clothes. In his haste, he had grabbed James's clothes, but he continued to put them on. He fumbled with the buttons and didn't look over at the older man just yet. James sat up to watch the nervous Quartermaster pace around.

“I need to tell you something too,” James replied, his eyes watched Q moved back to the bed. “I love—”

“I'm a wizard!” Q exclaimed.

The pair stared confused.

“You're a—”

“You said—”

“Wizard?” James rubbed his face in confusion. Wizard? M had called him that during the debriefing. “What the hell does—”

“Love you?” Q licked his lips before he collapsed onto the bed. He gripped his hair tightly and clamped his eyes shut.

“I have to go…” James said as he moved to put on his clothes.

“James?”

James left with an uncomfortable silence between them. James thought they were getting better, but now? What the hell did this Fire Wizard thing mean? James ran a hand through his hair and closed the door. He huffed and left the hotel with more questions than answers. Rain drizzled down as James walked around London with a confused sense of what the hell was going on with his life.

James found himself at a pub with a beer in front of him. Inside the air was smoky and reeked of bad choices. He wanted to drink but he couldn’t force himself to do so. Information ran through his head as if it were a newsreel spewing out information. He tapped on the bar counter to try to make sense of it all. Wizard. Fire Wizard. M had called Q a Fire Wizard.

He ran his hand over his head and swiveled his stool to look around the bar. His eyes wandered until he saw a flash of red. He blinked and it came into focus. James licked his lips— his throat was dry—and he stood. Slowly, he walked over to the figure in red. She turned and smiled at him, that smile that took his breath away so many years ago. Her face was full of life but her eyes were dark; darker than he remembered. She was dead, she was _dead._ Yet, here she was, right in front of him. They locked eyes and James stood still. Waves of emotions ran through him and she beckoned him over. James placed some money on the counter and slowly walked to her once more.

“Vesper,” he whispered, his feet guiding him to her. She turned, left the bar, and walked into the chilly night. James couldn’t feel the cold as his feet moved him forward. He followed her out of the bar and saw her across the busy street. She continued to beckoned him over. James stepped forward onto the busy street.

“James!” a voice brought him back before a car ran him over. James quickly looked to his left to see Q standing next to him. James blinked and saw how wide Q’s eyes were. James brought a hand to the young man’s face. Q swallowed and placed his hand over James’s. “Are you all right?”

“Vesper,” James whispered again.

Q brought down James’s hand and kissed it. “No, James, it’s Q. It’s Q.”

James shook his head and his vision became clear. James held onto Q’s hand tightly. “Q!” James quickly lost focus and began to look around, his head whipping back and forth to across the street. “Did you see her?”

“See who?” Q asked in confusion. “James, are you all right?”

“You didn’t—” James stopped. Q didn’t know Vesper, he wouldn’t know what she even _looked_ like. James let out a breath and rubbed his face. Was he just seeing things? “Never mind..I just…”

Q grabbed his wrist. James stopped talking. “I didn’t see anything.”

“I know, I guess,” James shot his eyes over across the street to see the woman in red. “I guess I’m just seeing things.”

“Do you want to go home?” Q asked and hesitated before he added: “With me?”

James breathed in and nodded. “Yes.”

***

“I should have explained myself,” Q whispered, tears in his eyes as soon as they got to Q’s flat. “When you left, I—”

“Shh,” James said and kissed him gently while he pulled them inside the flat. “It was a huge revelation that you gave me. I didn’t know what to do, so I left.”

“I should have told you sooner,” Q told him as they made their way to the bedroom to sit down on the bed together. Q ran his hand through his long hair. “I mean, you have a _phobia_ of fire!”

“I still love you,” James told him softly.

Q felt the bed move as a hand snaked up his back and rested on the back of his neck. “Do you really?”

James kissed his shoulder. “I do, really. I really do love you, Mr. Wizard.”

Q blinked and smiled at the older man. “I...I love you, too.”

“So...you are a wizard,” James said after they had laid in comfortable silence. He let his fingers move up and down Q's body. “Like Harry—”

“One of us gave Ms. Rowling permission to use some of what we do in her novels but that is it,” Q snapped.

James chuckled and attempted to wrap his arm around Q's waist. “So does she pay you in royalties or...who does she pay so she could use your world?” James rested his chin on Q's arm. “You know, you kinda do look like—”

“I'll kill you if you finish that sentence,” Q interrupted.

James let out a laugh and kissed Q's arm. “You would make a good Harry Potter, though.” James then frowned. “So...what is the difference between Harry Potter and you?”

Q licked his lips, his throat dry as he wondered how to answer. “Well, for starters, there is no school,” Q answered, and smiled at James's pout. “And for me...well, my power. It...well, my mother passed it down to me.”

“She passed it down to you?” James asked, curious.

Q's eyes went to his hands. So much power without him even realizing it. “The Fire Wizards have...a different way of, ah. Giving the power to the next generation.”

Q moved and rested his head on James’s shoulder. James smiled and moved to where their foreheads touched. Q sighed and closed his eyes.

“You’re full of surprises,” James finally said. “And...you have the power of fire...right?”

“I promise,” Q began. “I will never harm you with my powers.”


	2. Chapter 2

Home. James ran a hand through his dirty hair and didn’t care for one moment that he looked like complete shit from his latest mission. All he knew was that when he opened the door to his flat, Q would be waiting. That, was something he couldn’t wait to get home to. When he opened the door to his flat, Q was on the couch on his laptop, an earthy smell from the tea lingering in the air. Happy that Q was using the key he had given him earlier this month, James smiled as he closed the door and toed off his shoes. 

Q lifted his head up and quickly ran to his side. James just took Q's hand and kissed it gently. He could smell his own body wash on Q’s body and it sent tingles down his spine. James held onto Q’s hand, never wanting to let go of Q ever again. 

Q closed his eyes and rested his forehead against James's before pulling him to the bedroom. From there, Q slowly undressed him while James did the same for him. Clothes scattered across the floor without a care as the bedroom door locked into place. Q sat on the bed and James crawled on top of him. There was just silence; nothing needed to be said between the two. James closed his eyes and kissed Q harshly, as though if he stopped kissing, Q would vanish. Q moaned and let his eyes roll to the back of his head. 

“Fuck, Q,” James panted, and nipped Q’s neck with his teeth. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, James,” Q moaned out, his body aching for James. 

James moved to the nightstand and grabbed lube and condoms. He went back to Q and went lower, kissing Q’s stomach. James watched as Q let his body relax and enjoy what James was doing to him. James smiled, loving how Q looked like this. He poured the lube onto his fingers and moved them lower to Q’s ass.

“Please, James,” Q pleaded, he gripped the sheets tightly. 

“I know, Q,” James said, and pushed his finger inside of Q. James felt how hot Q was, how quickly the young man responded to his touch. He then progressed to two fingers, scissoring them inside of the young man. Q squirmed, pushing back against James’ fingers, and clamped his eyes shut. “Don’t come yet,” James told him. 

“James!” Q cried out, almost in pain. “I can’t!” 

James grinned and pulled out his fingers. He ripped the condom wrapper open and slipped the condom on, readying himself. He pushed into Q gently so he could adjust. Q let out a cry and wrapped his legs around James’s waist. James shook his head, the smile never leaving his face. Always impatient, his Q, but he wanted to make this special. James gripped his hips and began to thrust, slowly at first before he began to move faster and faster.

“Fuck, James, fuck,” Q rambled, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. 

James chuckled and held onto Q’s waist. “You always love it when I fuck you good and hard, don’t you?” 

“Yes, Jesus, James,” Q whined.

James continued to thrust into Q and Q's fingers dug into his back. Suddenly, Q's fingers went white hot and the smell of burnt flesh accosted their nostrils. James let out a cry when he felt his back on fire. He immediately stopped as the pain increasingly became more intense.

“Fuck!” James pulled back from Q, blood dripping down his back and onto the sheets. In his mind, James reverted back to being eight years old, alone in the church when it caught on fire. The fire that snaked up his arm and wrapped itself tightly around him as he screamed.

“James!” Q cried as James fell off the bed. Q stared at his hands before his eyes moved back to James. “James! Are you all right?”

James groaned while he was on his hands and knees. Blood dripped onto the white carpet and James stared in confusion at the now red-stained carpet. “What...what did you do to me?”

“James,” Q said as he moved to kneel next to the older man. “Let me help you.”

“Don't fucking touch me,” James said as he flinched from Q's touch. “You said you would never do this to me…” 

Q began to breathe heavily. “James...I'm—I'm sorry.”

***

Q gathered his clothes to change in the living room. His mind was blank, his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Why did that happen? Why did he do that to James? He had it under control, he had it under control! Why the hell did that happen?

Q went back into the bedroom with rags and hot water. James was lying on his stomach. Q bit his lip and knelt in front of him. James didn’t say anything and Q swallowed. Nothing needed to be said just yet. Q began to work on James’s wounds and felt his heart break when James flinched at his touch. 

“You need to go to Medical for this,” Q whispered and bandaged the wounds as best he could. “So they won’t scar.” 

“Just another set of scars added to the list,” James mumbled. “Thank you, Q, I can take it from here.” 

“James-” 

“ _ Thank you, Q _ .” 

Q opened his mouth but closed it. He took the bowl and poured the reddish brown liquid down the drain. Watching the dirtied water in the drain made Q feel worse. His hands shook when he saw that they were covered in James’s blood.  _ He _ did that to his lover. Q couldn’t breathe and had to get out. He hastily left the flat before he could do any more damage.

Q didn’t go to work for a few days. He had to get this sorted out: why did he do that? Why did he hurt James like he did? He had never done this to  _ anyone _ before. Q picked up a cold cup of tea and felt his hands instantly warming the cold beverage. His cat, Iago, rubbed against his leg. Q picked up the orange tomcat and Iago just purred. Q raised an eyebrow; why was he able to harm James and not Iago?

“I don’t get it, buddy,” he told the cat. 

The cat blinked slowly and rubbed his face against Q’s chest. 

Finally, when he realized that he couldn’t hide anymore, he returned to work. He knew that he had to outfit a few agents for their missions later in the day. Q got to his office with his coffee and collapsed into his chair. The chair groaned at the sudden weight added onto it but Q paid it no mind. He had to figure out what to say to James about what had happened the other night. He had burned James once more; something that James had feared since he was a boy. How could he be so stupid?

Q didn't know what to do. He tried to continue as if nothing had happened, but when he worked with James, there was nothing he could do. The door opened and closed, which caused him to jump. Q saw the bags under James's eyes; the man hadn't slept in god knows how long. Q opened his mouth before he closed it.

“Quartermaster,” James mumbled and kept his eyes on the table. “I'm here for my equipment.”

“Here it is,” Q said as he held out the box for James. 

James hesitated and looked at the box in Q's hands. “Thank you,” he said as he kept his eyes on the box and made no motion to take the box from him.

Q furrowed his eyebrows. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

“The burn scars on my back say otherwise,” James stated and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Q frowned, saddened by this new development. He set the equipment box on the table and took a step back. He held up his arms to show that he wouldn't hurt James. “Your equipment, 007.”

James waited a few seconds before he took the box finally. “Thank you, Q.”

“Please be careful on your mission,” Q said with worry in his eyes. He took a small step forward and whispered: “Please come back to me.”

James hesitated at the confession, swallowed, and nodded. “I always do,” he whispered back and took his equipment box with him.

***

The crowd at the party was large and James knew that he only had a limited time to get the target before he was caught. He placed the bag down onto the hard, red ground before he settled into the dirt himself. With careful precision, James slowly assembled the rifle, the newly modified scope ready to be used. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jacket and let out a slow breath; this was what he was good at. 

He blinked as he moved his left eye into the scope. The crosshairs blackened and beeped as it moved to find the acquired target. Slowly at first, the black crosshairs moved to find the person it wanted. When it did, it beeped and flashed green for James to see. 

As the target moved through the crowd, James saw a flash of red and his eyes gravitated towards the vivid color in the sea of dark earth-toned colors. His breath stiffened when he saw her. Her bright green eyes were so full of life while her dark hair billowed in the wind. James continued to stare and she winked at him. James blinked and the woman was gone.

“James!” the voice in his ear squawked. James had to let go of the breath he was holding as he tried to regain his composure. “You're going to miss him!”

“Sorry,” James mumbled as he refocused on the target. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he stared back into the scope. The girl...she was so familiar, and yet...the memory was so distant in his head. He moved his index finger towards the trigger, the crosshairs on the target when another shadow moved over the crosshairs. James blinked when he saw two people he had thought were long dead. There in the fray of people, James could see his parents. He blinked, tried to convince himself that it was only his mind playing tricks on him. With the woman in red, they stood in front of James's target and James pulled back. “I—I can't.”

“What do you mean you can't?” asked a new voice, M.

“I...I don’t have the shot,” James answered. “I might hit a civilian.” 

“Take the shot, Bond,” M demanded. 

“The last time someone took a shot on  _ your _ order, I was almost killed,” James snapped. The crowd dispersed and the target was gone, as were his parents and Vesper. James shook his head as if to clear it and packed up the equipment. “The shot is blown. I’ll finish it later when he’s at the hotel.” 

“You’d better,” M stated in his ear. “Or your license to kill will be revoked.”  

“Yes, ma’am,” James muttered and made his way back to his own hotel to rethink his plan. 

***

It was late at night and James was pacing in his hotel room. Q had intel that the target was nearby in another hotel. 

“You might be able to snipe him off from the roof of your own hotel,” Q chirped in his ear. “Easy and simple.”

“Yes, thank you,” James mumbled and pulled out his earwig. He tossed it aside and grabbed his bag once more. Yes, he  _ could _ go onto his roof to snipe him. He just didn’t want to give Q the satisfaction that he was right. 

James huffed; he shouldn’t be mad at Q about what happened. It had clearly been an accident, or something. It was an accident, right? Though, at the same time, Q did  _ burn _ him. The burns scars on his back were a painful reminder that Q was dangerous. James ran a hand through his hair. But, James  _ did _ love him, though. Why was this so complicated? He then opened the balcony windows and jumped out. “This feels familiar.” 

James grunted and moved to jump to the balcony next to him and began to climb up the fire escape. He made his way onto the roof and rubbed his hands together, the bag slack against his shoulder. He walked over to the other side of the building and stood to look around. The night was cloudy but the moon still gave enough light for him to do his work. James set the bag down on the cold roof and grabbed his binoculars. Crouching to look over the ledge, he began to scour the windows for his target. He was about to give up when his target came into view. James grinned to himself and set up his weapon. He adjusted the scope and set the rifle on the cold cement ledge. He closed one of his eyes, found his target, and fired.   _ Mission complete. _


	3. Chapter 3

James walked away from M’s office after his debriefing and Q wasn’t too far behind. Q snapped his head up and began to walk with him.

“Why didn't you just kill him when he was at the party?” Q demanded.

“It wasn't as easy as it looked!” James fired back, his eyes straight ahead while his cheeks began to burn with shame.

“What could possibly not be easy about that?” Q exclaimed and stood right in front of him. 

James kept his eyes down and pushed Q to the wall. Q breathed in as James crowded him. James then punched the wall right by Q’s head; Q did not flinch. James’s breathing was heavy. “I saw...someone. People...people who should have been dead…” 

Q tried to see any expression on James’s face but James kept his face downward and hidden away from him. “James, what do…” 

“I saw my parents,” James managed to get out. “And Vesper…” 

Q’s eyes went wide. Was this the work of the Spirit Wizard? It was true that James probably had some form of PTSD, but… Q blinked and tried to regain his composure. “James…” 

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” James said, his eyes red and puffy. “Please…” 

Q moved forward and pressed his forehead against James’s. James let out a small breath. 

“Do you want to go home?” 

James nodded and Q took the agent’s hand. He felt James tense up at the touch and Q quickly let go. James swallowed and took back Q’s hand. 

“You won’t hurt me, right?” James asked hoarsely. 

“I won’t hurt you, James,” Q said quickly. “I never meant to hurt you...I don’t know…” 

James interrupted him by resting his forehead against Q’s. Q let out a low gasp and tensed at the touch, but then relaxed and closed his eyes. 

“Come back to my place?” James whispered.

Q nodded. “I’ll be there after I finish here. Will you be all right until then?” 

James nodded and Q kissed his forehead. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” 

James kissed him and left just as quickly. Q watched him leave and stood in the hallway stunned; James had the courage to touch him again, but for how long? 

***

Q was on their bed with his laptop when he heard the door open and close. He hesitated and gently moved a hand toward the nightstand. He opened the drawer and made sure the Walter was there, ready to take on the intruder. Q was about to get up when James stood in the doorway. Q opened his mouth to speak but James shook his head. Q rubbed his fingers together because he was unsure what James wanted. Hell, he didn’t even know what he wanted. 

James moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his back away from Q. Q sat up slowly, unsure of what to do. He could only stare at the burn marks on the agent’s back. Ten simple nail scratches were now burn scars on James’s back and a simple reminder to Q of what he had done. Q lifted a hand to touch them, but he restrained himself and stayed still. 

“I was eight,” James whispered. “I nicked some of my dad's cigarettes and I didn't want to get caught. So, I ran to the old, abandoned church on our grounds. The church was so old, mother nature had completely taken over the inside of the main hall. So, I put myself behind one of the pews and lit one up. I tossed the match and breathed in.” James let out a small chuckle. “I hated it. I hated the taste, the smell, everything. I tossed the cigarette aside but with that and the match, they lit the leaves on the ground. It spread so quickly. I...I tried to get myself out but one of the high beams came down and hit me in the shoulder. It caused some of the flames to catch on my jumper.” James looked down at his left hand; he could still feel the fire all over his body. He could still hear his own screams in his head while he tried to put out the fire. “The fire practically burned the jumper onto my arm. When I joined MI6, they did a skin graft to save my arm from being too recognizable, but the scars inside me still remain.”

Q, who was still rooted in his spot on the bed, finally moved. He moved to sit next to the older man and wrapped his arms around him. “Thank you for telling me.”

James stared down at Q's hands and Q pulled back slightly. James then wrapped his arms around the young man. Q sighed and pulled away from James just a little. If James told him about his fear, it was time to tell James his.

“I didn't know that I had this sort of power when I was a child,” Q admitted. “I, uh...was six when it happened. My mother was ill and she couldn’t..she passed her power to me...” Q wiped the tears from his eyes. “A fire broke out in the apartment above us. I learned that fire...fire couldn't hurt me at all. I tried to save her...”

“Q...”

“What good am I as a Fire Wizard if I couldn't even save my own mum,” Q said softly, his lips barely moving while tears streamed down his face. “I could have saved my mum...but they took me away before I could.”

“Are there a lot of you?” James asked.

“We are few,” Q explained. “There are so few of us left that finding another is...almost extraordinary.”

“Are there more of you here?” James questioned. “Like, in London?”

Q sighed as he turned to lie next to James. He moved closer to the older man, the need and want of a warm body next to him taking priority over all else. Q buried his face into James's neck. “I don't know. Yes. And no. Nowadays we try not to keep in contact because if the four of us were together, we could potentially destroy the Earth.”

“Like seriously, or—”

Q laughed and kissed James's neck. “I'm kidding. We would just be able to harmonize with each other. Bring a balance back to the world. Ease the Mother Earth into a more calming mood. She is a little unstable now, but in time, with the four of us together, we can make sure she won't cause too much damage to the rest of the world.”

“Can there be others?” James asked. “Like, can there be two earth wizards or…?” 

Q rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t know. It could very well be a possibility but we have yet to find a record of more elementals.” 

“But it is a possibility?” 

Q nodded. “It could be. I hope it is.” 

***

The next morning at work, Q opened the news channels to see that they were reporting a man with the ability to manipulate water. Q almost dropped the cup of tea he held in his hand. He replayed the blurry video twice of a man protecting a family in the middle of a storm. The video ended with the blurred man turning towards the shore. The man’s ripped shirt revealed a prosthetic arm. The man stared at the camera before he disappeared. 

“Oh my god,” Q whispered as he ran to M’s office with his tablet. Once he opened the door, she turned her chair around to look at him while James did the same in the seat opposite her. 

“Are the rumors true?” M asked Q. “That the Water Mage has been found?”

“I...yes, ma'am,” Q stuttered and showed her the video.

“Do you know who that is,” M said. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Then you know what to do,” M told him and gave back the tablet. “And bring James along, I think he needs the experience.”

“But ma'am,” Q started.

“And he's your bodyguard. We can't afford to lose you, too.”

“But—”

“That is all, Quartermaster. You know that needs to be done.”

Q walked briskly out of the office with James on his heels. James had no idea what had happened in the meeting with M but whatever it was, it had riled up Q something fierce.

“What are we doing exactly?” James asked as he kept up with Q's inhuman stride.

“We have to meet with the Water Mage,” Q answered and pushed the button for the elevator.

“Water...what?” James wondered and stepped into the elevator, confusion marring his face. Q pressed for the garage and James rubbed the back of his head, the elevator music unfit and too happy for what they were doing.

“Water Mage,” Q answered, his eyes forward. “While I manipulate fire, the one we're trying to find can manipulate water.”

“Do they know you're coming?”

“I found out that he landed yesterday for some work. It won't take us long,” Q replied. “Come on, Felix will know where he'll be.”

“Felix?”

“Yeah, he came with the Water Mage. He's at the bar not too far from here.”

They met Felix at a bar. One of many bars in the area, and of course Felix wanted to be at the bar that was the shittiest of them all. Felix slammed the bottle down and tapped for another. Q moved towards the older man only to notice the bags under the man's eyes. When had Felix last gotten a decent night's rest? Then again, after what had happened to him and his wife...

“Hello, Felix,” Q said as he sat down at the table, which was littered with beer bottles. Felix gave a grunt. James raised an eyebrow when he saw that Felix's right hand was metallic; a prosthetic. “How are you?”

“Go fuck yourself,” Felix answered as he downed another beer. He then turned and blinked as if to clear his vision. “Ah hell, sorry, Q. James. Sit down.”

“How are your prosthetics?” Q asked him. “Do they need maintenance?”

Felix shook his head as he stared at his right hand. “It feels like I never lost any limbs to that fucking shark.”

“Does it affect your magic?” Q questioned.

“What?” James interjected finally. “You mean...fuck, you didn't tell me, Felix?”

Felix angrily glared at the agent and spat: “I never wanted this magic. It's what caused this trouble in the first place.”

“Felix, you know that we are chosen,” Q reminded him.

Felix sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It's ironic. I used to love the ocean, until...” He stopped and he stared at his right hand, a missing part of himself that he would never get back. “The one afraid of water is the one that controls it.”

“There's another,” Q said quickly. “Other than the original four...there's another elemental wizard.”

“So they do exist,” Felix said while he intently peeled at the label of his beer bottle. “The Spirit Wizard. He who can control spirits can control the dead.”

“Okay, I'm confused,” James said to the pair. “How many of you are there?”

“Two of us,” Q said. “Two more. But then this fifth wizard...it is going to cause a lot of problems. No one has seen the fifth for almost seven hundred years.”

“There's always four wizards according to the legend,” Felix explained quietly while the rest of the bar began to die down. Patrons shuffled and left like zombies, giving the trio some privacy. “One dies, another is found. But to hear about the fifth… it would upset the already delicate balance.” Felix ignored James and looked at Q as he light a cigarette. He blew the smoke upwards and returned his gaze to Q. “Do you know who and where the others are?”

“One's part of MI6,” Q explained while James sat next to them in silence, his head swimming with new information. “And the other is Madeleine Swann.”

“Swann?” James asked. “I don't know where—”

“We're going to have to find her,” Q answered crossly. “Will you join us, Felix?”

“And the other?” Felix demanded.

Q tugged on the collar of his shirt. “It's M.”

“Are you serious?” James asked, not believing Q. “I mean...how?”

“Other than the Spirit Wizard, she is the eldest out of the four,” Q said to him. “As of right now, there is no successor to the element of Earth.”

“You mean you haven't  _ found _ the successor,” Felix pointed out.

Q frowned at Felix. “As of right now, we have not found the successor. M is concerned because if we cannot find the successor, it might pose a problem if the Spirit Wizard decides to attack. She doesn’t have children, as far as I’m aware, but is it possible for her to pass it down to someone not related to her?” 

Felix shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. I don’t remember the stories ever explaining it.”

“Do you think there’s a possibility that there could be more of us?” 

Felix fiddled with his drink. “I don’t know...it can...it seems possible...doesn’t it?” 

“There’s just...not enough information about it all,” Q said, his voice heavy with hurt. “Nothing is explained except for everything passed down through stories…” 

“Do we know who the Spirit one is?” Felix changed the subject and lifted up his finger to pay for his bill. “How can we defeat someone if we don't know who they are?”

“M and I have been looking. So far we've been unsuccessful. When it feels like we get too close, they disappear.”

Felix rubbed his chin, his beard much too long on his dark face. “When do we leave?”

***

“ _ No _ ,” Q stated angrily as they got closer to the airport.

“What do you mean, no?” James asked, equally as angered, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. “If we have to go grab Swann so fucking badly, this is the quickest way to do it.”

“We can take the goddamn ferry!” Q said, exasperated.

“The hell we are!” Felix interjected. “I'm not going near the water.”

“Look, Felix, the sooner we get on the boat, the sooner we can get off of it. Okay?” James stated, already tired of being the mediator between the two elementals. He then turned the car around and sped up to catch the next ferry for them. “I'll buy you enough beer to where you won't even realize that you're on a damned boat.”

Felix huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. But I will not enjoy this.”

James rolled his eyes as he made his way to the ferry. On the way there, he noticed as they got closer to the water that it started to become rough and choppy. When he rolled down the window to pay, he heard someone say as they walked past: “Yeah, the water went from incredibly calm to rough like this. We’re gonna have to take our time crossing.” 

James thanked the man and drove the car to park in the bottom of the ferry. Huddled with the other cars, James let out a breath while Felix took over the back of the car by laying down. He rubbed his face before he leaned over to see Q on his tablet doing something that probably involved work. James moved closer to place his arm on the headrest and watched Q's eyebrows furrow in frustration as the ferry began to sway back and forth.

“M being bossy?” James asked to diffuse the tension in the car.

Q looked defeated as he slid closer to James and rested his head on the older man's shoulders. “She's wondering why we're taking so long.”

“She does remember that we voted to get out of the EU, right?” he asked. 

“You know her,” Q muttered and turned his head to look at James. “Thank you. For letting us take the ferry. I know it’s longer...and Felix…”

“He’ll hate me for a little while, but he’ll be all right.” 

“At least we’re going to France.”

“Not really...we’ll be heading to Belgium.”

“Belgium?” Q asked. “I thought we were going to France.”

“We thought it best for her to go to Antwerp rather than Paris,” James explained as he got comfortable in his seat. “We don't know if SPECTRE is still out there, so Maddy and I thought that if she went to Belgium she’d be safer. They'd probably be looking for her in France.”

“I thought you said you didn't know where she was.”

“That was the idea,” James answered. “If M didn't know where she was, then Maddy wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. So, I lied to protect her.”

“Oh...” Q said, his voice drifting off.

James gently pulled Q closer to him. “We dated but it didn't get very far after that. We realized that it was going to be an unhealthy relationship. I was part of a world that she never wanted to be part of. I didn't want to bring her into something she didn't want. We talked about it and then parted ways. We only keep in touch if she's in trouble.”

“Has she been?”

James took Q's hand in his own. “No. We made sure that they wouldn't find her.”

Q gave a small smile. “And now?”

“And now all I want is you,” James stated.

“That was smooth,” Felix said from the back.

James looked over his shoulder to look at Felix, who was just lying on his back with his eyes closed. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I am,” Felix answered. “But I had to hear some stupid, mushy shit first.”

“I’m not sorry,” James told him and checked the time on his watch. He sighed and closed his eyes. He kept his arms tight around Q. “Just shut up and go back to sleep.” 

Two hours later, the ferry doors opened and they were now in the waiting line to get back onto land. As the cars piled out, the water that had been rough heading to France was now beginning to calm. The ferry workers stared at the water in confusion but let the rest of the cars and people pass without question. 

They drove another three hours before they found themselves in Belgium. James parked his car in a parking garage in the middle of Antwerp. The city bustled along and took the trio with it. From there, the trio began to walk around, breathing in the crisp, cold air. 

James took out his phone, swiped, and unlocked it. He pressed a few buttons before he dropped it back into his pocket. Q raised an eyebrow and James just smiled while he wrapped an arm around Q's shoulders. Felix huffed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Do you want my arm around your shoulders, too?” James teased.

“I just want to get this over with,” Felix snapped and stormed off. James sighed and Q just frowned.

“Where is she?” Q asked.

“Not too far away, I hope,” James answered.

The trio stood in front of a large nondescript building; it blended in with the rest of the surrounding area. Felix lit a cigarette and blew out smoke from his nostrils.“So now what?” he asked, his eyes wandering to find the closest pub.

“This is anticlimactic,” Q muttered. 

“This should be where she works,” James said as he took out his phone to find the correct information, “but I haven't talked to her in months, so she might have changed jobs.”

“The only way to know is to...go in, right?” Q said and began to walk towards the building. Felix huffed and sucked on his cigarette until it was at the butt before he tossed it away. James shrugged his shoulders and followed Q inside. They passed by two offices and the last one was at the end of the hallway. On the placard it read: Victoria White. James knocked on the door and opened it. 

“You know, when we parted, I thought we agreed to  _ never see each other again _ ,” Madeleine said when James strolled through the door. In her right hand, she gripped a ballpoint pen, ready to strike at anyone that came near her. 

Q took a step forward and Madeleine's eyes moved to him and watched him like a hawk. Q put up his hands in surrender to show he meant no harm. Outside, the wind began to pick up and shook the old windows of Madeleine’s office. James’s eyes moved to the windows, hoping that they wouldn’t break. James then looked over at Felix, who seemed unfazed about how hard the wind was blowing against the building. The lights began to flicker and James reached for the invisible gun in his empty shoulder holster. 

“I know you are the Air Enchantress,” was all Q told her. “Felix is the Water Mage and I am the Fire Wizard.”

Madeleine's expression changed. The vice-like grip she had on her pen loosened before she finally caught Q's eyes.

“How did you know?” she asked quietly as the angered winds outside began to die down. “I was careful. So careful that no one knew about that.”

Q sat down in the chair opposite of her. “We need your help.” Madeleine raised an eyebrow expectantly. Q bit his lip, unsure if she knew, but he had to try. “There is a Spirit Wizard.”

Madeleine's eyes went wide. She placed her hands on the desk to stop them from shaking. She closed her eyes, breathed in, and then opened them to look at the trio in front of her. “How is that possible? I thought the ancestors destroyed the fifth wizard.”

“He's alive,” Felix butted in, his arms crossed tight against his chest. “And he wants to destroy everything. We need your help.”

“Do we have the Earth Elemental?” Madeleine questioned, a pen spun in her fingers to keep them occupied.

Q nodded. “She's back in London.”

“And the Spirit Wizard?” she asked.

“Unsure, but close. The Earth Elemental wants us to be together in case they strike,” Q explained. “Will you join us?”

Madeleine clicked her pen in nervousness. Her eyes darted from James to Q to Felix and finally back onto Q. “I...I don't...”

“MI6 will give you a new identity,” James interrupted. “New place, new name, everything. And we will never bother you again.”

Madeleine breathed in before she let it out slowly. “Very well. I will join you to defeat the Spirit Wizard.” 

“Excellent, we leave back to London tonight,” James said. 

***

“So, now that you’re all here, now what?” James asked. They were all now huddled in M’s small office, discussing plans to eradicate the Spirit Wizard. James stayed in the back, awkwardly wondering if he should even be there, but no one told him to leave. The four elements argued back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. “Can anyone kill this bastard?”

“We can try,” Felix answered. “Since we control the elements.” 

“James cannot fight the Spirit Wizard,” Madeleine stated before James could argue that he could be part of the fight, too. “Unless the Sword of Light is found.” 

“That is just as mystical as the Spirit Wizard,” Felix pointed out. “We have no proof that the Sword of Light even exists.” 

“What the hell is the Sword of Light?” James asked. 

“A sword made of light,” Madeleine explained as if it were obvious. “It can give the wielder great power. The sword user was a bridge between the elementals and the villagers, or so they say.”

“By the way, you’re holding up real well for someone who realized that we can manipulate elements,” Felix told him. 

“I’m screaming on the inside,” James deadpanned. 

“I gathered….” 

“How can we find the Spirit Wizard?” Q asked the others. “So far, we only have random encounters from various agents on the field.” 

“One of us here has already been in contact with the Spirit Wizard,” M said, and her eyes moved to James.

The other three elementals turned to look at James. James took a step back, embarrassed that they stared at him. “What?” 

“ _ You’ve _ been in contact with him?” Felix asked. 

“I don’t know what all of you are talking about,” James said and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“The Monaco mission,” M said. “He was there. And he prevented you from killing your target at the party. Q explained this to me.” 

James blinked as if trying to understand. “I don’t…”

“You saw your parents,” Q told him. “Remember, you told me? Your parents and...Vesper.”

“I don’t know what I saw out there,” James countered, his voice low and menacing, feeling a slight betrayal from Q telling M about what he said.

“Calm down, 007,” M snapped. M looked at the others. “If the Spirit Wizard knew about James’s parents and Vesper…” 

“Is he also part of MI6?” Madeleine asked. 

“He can’t be,” Q said, tablet in his hand as he looked through personnel records. “I’ve looked at possibilities but there’s no one at MI6 that would pose as a threat like this.” 

“Who else can it be?” 

“What should we do?” James asked. “Should we start questioning anyone that was part of my missions?” 

“The only people that followed your missions were me and M,” Q told him. 

“Do you think someone was listening into the comms?” M asked and looked over at Q. “Is that possible?” 

Q shook his head. “No, I’m the only one that takes 007’s missions.” 

“Is it someone from your past?” Felix asked, finally. 

“Who, there’s no one,” James said.

“We have Blofeld in the cells below,” Q said. “From when you captured him a few months earlier.” 

James frowned. “I want to speak to him.”


End file.
